May 2008

May 31, 2008

My Lisa Leonard 'listen' necklace. I had to have one after seeing Ali Edwards' post about hers for her word for the year. My word is 'listen' and I've worn this necklace at least 3 or 4 days a week since I got it. I don't have a picture of it, but if you look here, mine is like the one that says 'sparkle.' You must check out her amazingly simple and beautiful work.

Making bags. I have never made a bag before, and I'm really loving creating these camera bags from scratch. I can improve them each time and add whatever I want. Love that.

Photography without flash. Several months back, I pretty much stopped using the flash on my camera. It takes a little more patience, but what amazing results. If you mess around with the settings a bit, you can capture the moments so much more organically than with a flash. (Photo below is from our imaginary cat Miko's birthday party.)

Cream cheese frosting. I really try hard not to have sweets in the house, and now we know why. There's the tiniest little tupperware of leftover frosting from a cake I made for the occasion above, and I just can't resist dipping my finger into it a few times a day. Self control: I don't have it.

Used books. Spent $10 today on two adult hardbacks for my trip and about 8 kids books just because. Yes, we can buy books just because when they cost $0.50 a piece! I love this.

Nonfat Plain Yogurt, topped with honey and blueberries. This is my current favorite food. I don't even feel guilty when I eat it, and it's just sweet enough to seem like a treat.

Fresh bread from the breadmaker! Yes, do you recall that I had 'making bread' as one of the things I really wanted to start doing? And I love it! More importantly, all three 'boys' love it, too. Today I am trying cinnamon raisin bread, because it just seems like that kind of slow Saturday.

Thinking. I really do love thinking. Since becoming a mama, it seems like my brain has been put in slow motion. I often can't find the word I'm looking for, and I rarely have a chance to read up on current events in order to have a relevant conversation with a non-mama type. But lately I've spent a lot of time thinking...about priorities, goals, habits, food, quilts, fabric, oh-so-many things to think about. Is it sad that with the boys being 2 and 4, I am just now beginning to think again? No, I am not focusing on that, but on how happy I am to get a moment to think these days!

May 30, 2008

Okay, so I took the first step toward starting new food habits for our family...I went to the farmer's market today.

I have to say, I felt a little overwhelmed. Now, I am no stranger to farmer's markets...I love them. I feel so healthy and inspired, just wandering the aisles among the gorgeous produce that's been lovingly tended to. I've always wanted to make going to the farmer's market a regular event for my boys (even before I had kids, I thought about this!) So why the sudden overwhelmed feeling?

Two reasons:

1. In the past, I've gone to the farmer's market to just buy whatever looks good to me that morning...to supplement my regular shopping, but not to replace it. Today, I knew I wanted to buy any fruits and vegetables we would need for at least several days. I think I was mostly worried we'd not be able to survive on what I found there with *gasp* no shopping list!

2. Even though the other trips were more casual, I almost always have my dad along. My dad is a talker. He knows the vendors and chats and laughs with Vincenzo about his current crops, and just generally seems to know his way around. I, on the other hand, wander about aimlessly, not knowing whom to buy from and what is a good price.

Okay, so I'm a novice. I need Farmer's Market 101. I'll try to remember to update you on my progress in this area.

May 29, 2008

I'm trying hard to remember that every day seems to have its rhythm around here.

Typically we start with a generally happy Tyler, and crying and tantrums from Jake during breakfast time, sometimes ending in him being sent to his room to preserve the peace at the breakfast table. Then we all wave bye-bye to Daddy and blow our hugs and kisses and shoot some I love you's his way as he drives away.

Once he's gone, things settle down and the boys play while I clean up from breakfast and start some laundry. Then we'll play a game or read some books before getting dressed for the day. We go upstairs or outside to play (snail hunt today) then come home for a snack. At snack time the boys usually start whining again, and I have to think of something to occupy them if I want to get any chores done (often I do not.) More of the three of us playing together then it's lunch time, at which point Jake starts throwing a fit about how hungry he is and how he needs lunch right this instant. They both cry until lunch is on the table, then we eat together.

After lunch they'll usually play for a bit while I clean up, then if they're getting tired of playing, they get to watch a 20 minute show on pbs before rest time (if I'm lucky, they don't need a show to wind down and I can save this for later in the day when I'm desperate!) Next is quiet time in their rooms (on a good day, 45 minutes) then more play time at home before they get cranky again around 5:00. That's the hour and a half where I have to entertain them, clean up from our day, and get dinner cooked for us all, without losing my mind.

But as soon as Daddy gets home (around 6:30) everyone's happy again. We eat dinner together then Daddy does the dinner dishes and then usually watches t.v. while the boys play near him and I try to get a moment to relax. Around 7:45 we start getting ready for brushing teeth, book, and bed. Then Greg and I can watch whatever show we have on our DVR or read or craft or whatever we're doing that night.

The most important thing to me is that I need to remember this rhythm when the boys are driving me crazy with their crying, whining, and generally crankiness. I need to remember that they aren't like that all day long. I need to remember that there are pockets of frustration every day and that, with two preschoolers, I should expect them and take them in stride as part of the rhythm of our day. I need to learn to expect them at their usual times, and weather them the best I can, knowing there are better moments coming soon.

May 22, 2008

Okay, so the weather around here has just been plain weird lately. We'll have several days in a row of 95+ degree weather, then suddenly the next day it's in the 50's or 60's and raining. Tell me, how are we supposed to know what to wear when we get up in the morning? I solve this problem by letting the boys stay in their jammies until the weather begins to reveal itself, usually around 11:00 or so. Or if Jake's lucky, he just runs around nakey (his favorite...I tell you, that kid is going to grow up to be a nudist.)

Today, it's rainy. Here's my short list of things to do in the rain: put on rainboots and jackets and go jump in puddles (I take my camera if it clears up for a minute), strip down when you get home and drink hot chocolate, take a warm bath. Preferably in that order. My easy unwinding tip is for those of you, who like me, have a clear shower next to a tub in your master bath...I can take a nice long hot shower while watching over the two boys who play in my tub for as long as I let them. If you at all have the chance, light a fire in the fireplace and cozy up with a good book under a favorite quilt. A girl can dream,can't she?

May 21, 2008

I am so very lucky that I learned how to sew when I was just a little girl. I think I probably started when I was 8 or 9. By age 11, my mom was giving quilting classes out of our bonus room, and even taught one for girls my age. I think I finished my first quilt, a four square sampler, around that time.

Now, I think I could just swim in fabric, I love it that much. The colors, the patterns, the feel of it, and even the smell. I love it. The problem with this love is that I just want to buy more and more gorgeous fabric, even just to put it on the shelves in my newly cleaned sewing room. Ahhhh.

I have recently vowed not to buy any more blankets, throws, comforter covers, etc. from Target or Ikea, two of my favorite stores in the world. Yes, they have the most adorable things at dirt cheap prices. But if I make it, it just means so much more. If I make it, I treasure it. Have you tried making anything lately? I will warn you, it's so addicting.

I am in the process of making a throw quilt for the family room to coordinate with the new decor. I will be sure to share it with you when it's done. I need to finish it soon, because a new quilt on the cover of a magazine caught my eye, and I have it in mind for some of the fabrics I picked up at the Material Possessions anniversary sale. I can't wait to start it, but one thing/quilt at a time, I remind myself. That is the hardest part.

May 20, 2008

Well, Greg wanted a family evening out since he and I are leaving the wee ones this weekend and he was feeling sad about not hanging out with them any other nights this week.

Hence, miniature golf. What I realized as we played is that I love the fact that our boys do not know that this is supposed to be a competition. They LOVE trying to get their balls in the hole, no matter how many strokes it takes. Jake keeps hitting and hitting until he gets it in, then pumps his arm and cheers for himself. Yes, every time. Tyler hits once, then chases the ball, picks it up and takes it near the hole and sets it down to try to hit it in. No, he doesn't place it IN the hole (and gets upset if it accidentally rolls in) because he knows he's supposed to hit it in. What funny boys.

Greg and I are both extremely competitive. Could this be why Jake cries whenever he loses a game of Sorry!? Our poor boy has a rough road ahead, game-wise. So thank goodness for these sweet two and four year old days, where no one knows it's a competition, and everyone has a ball.

I'm thankful that we've chosen not to emphasize the winning and the losing of most activities we encounter. There will be plenty of time for that later. For now, our boys will cheer for themselves and keep on swinging and enjoy the journey itself, not just the destination.

Mmmmm....fresh bread has become the food of choice around here. After our first failed loaf, we have had many successful loaves, and I've come to crave/love that amazing smell of bread baking. It fills the whole house and hits you as you walk downstairs or in from picking up the mail. And to hear the boys cheer when I say "fresh bread" or smile when they hear the breadmaker, makes me happy. I didn't realize that Greg hadn't had any of our first loaves, and when he tasted a slice about a week or two after I started making it, he complained that we'd been hogging it all to ourselves without sharing! I guess I just didn't notice (but it really is easy to hog.)

Today I'm trying a lot more whole wheat flour in the loaf because we ran out of bread flour after half a cup. (We usually do 1.5 c. bread flour, 1.5 c. whole wheat flour.) I've wanted from the beginning to make a bread with more whole wheat flour, so we'll see how this loaf works out. (I added some extra honey to balance out the flavor of more whole wheat.) I'll keep you updated.

It's really not very hard (with my dad's borrowed breadmaker, that is) and nothing can beat that aroma on a cool day like today.

Here's our usual recipe (I call it 1-2-3-4 bread):

1 c. hot water (I heat it in the microwave for 1:30)

1 T milk

2 T canola oil

3 T honey

4 T brown sugar (I just use a spoon and scoop about 4 scoops.)

1 t salt (I eyeball this)

1.5 c bread flour

1.5 c whole wheat flour

1 packet of yeast

I put the breadmaker on the white/light crust setting for a 1 lb. loaf.

This makes a light and sweet bread that's perfect alone or with butter (or honey for dessert.) Yum!

May 19, 2008

Yes, I DID manage to finish the camera bag for my trip. This is my second camera bag attempt, and while it's more padded than the first, it still seems too boxy for me. My hope is create a bag that doesn't stick out so far from my body in this boxy way, yet can hold my essentials: camera, battery, lens cleaner, wallet, cell phone, chapstick, diaper and wipes. Yes, that is why it's so big. I'm in that transitional diaper bag phase.

The next attempt will be longer and narrower with an outside cell phone pocket and a pocket on the outside of the back for the wipes. Hopefully that way the whole bag can be a bit skinnier. Or oval. Not sure which.

Isn't it fun to create something new out of nothing? To be able to make something exactly how you want it to be instead of having to rely on someone else knowing what your personal needs are? I'm really enjoying that aspect of this camera bag making quest.

May 18, 2008

My sewing room...actually a partitioned off space in our master bedroom. Hoping to put a fabric bulletin board over that plywood above the sewing table. Hope also to get a real table or desk to put the machine on, too, so it doesn't shake like heck when I get really going!

The bottom of these two shelves is all flannel. I have a bit of a collection waiting for babies to be born and need blankets. No one is pregnant so there it sits.

As if I needed more fabric...bought this while I was supposed to be picking out Sara's quilt fabric. Just couldn't resist it! I love the combo of bright retro prints with the soft old fashioned.

You know, I really wanted to use this blog to show my recent creations...paper, fabric, art, etc. So here I am, a few months later, finally doing it! Well, at least showing things ready to be made.

I must show you my biggest accomplishment: a clean sewing room. It may not seem like much, but it took me six full hours yesterday to uncover this gem. (This is after Greg spent a while a few weeks ago clearing a pile that had grown in the corner. Under which he found a size 2 diaper. Yes, the mess was that old.) I am just loving my fabrics now. I can just see things taking shape as I walk into my new clean space. I need a few decorations and a bulletin board for ideas, and then I'll be finished. For now, I'm loving my little fabric displays.

Secondly, I'm working on a new camera bag. I can't wait to see the finished product. These bags seem to transform as I go, so even I will be surprised with the end result. I figure that since I love the fabric, I'll love the bag no matter what changes happen along the way. That's just the way it is with beautiful fabric, don't you think? What have you been making lately?

May 12, 2008

Now, who can top a painted handprint flower as a Mother's Day present. That has got to be the sweetest thing a mama can receive from her little boy. "My mom is as beautiful as a color," his card read. I guess that's better than the other mom I overheard after preschool who was "as beautiful as a train." Actually, Jake is in love with trains, so that would probably have been the highest compliment I could've received.

The day was spent at church, relaxing, hanging out with my mom and dad, with Greg and Dad finally putting the doors on the entertainment center for me, after 5 1/2 years of waiting for this moment. We played Sorry! and Chinese Checkers and the boys didn't watch any T.V. Family, food, and no t.v. are the epitome of a wonderful day for me.

May 10, 2008

Well, I mentioned I'd begun reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle the other day. The beginning is more propaganda heavy than the rest, and like I mentioned, there's lots of good info in there with the rest of it. The most interesting to me being the idea of changing the types of food you choose to buy.

Yes, our yard is tiny and mostly in the shade, so we will not be growing enough food to sustain our family (this is not to mention the fact that we'd have to have some spare time to grow and cultivate that food. hmmm.) However, I really like the idea of trying to eat more in season foods. Is it really necessary to fly produce in from South America when we in California can really buy locally grown produce closer to its actual growing season (making it cheaper and tastier than the jet-setting kind)? Am I willing to pay a bit more (in dollars and in ease of purchasing) in order to buy from local farms at the farmer's markets? And as for meat, will I follow through with making an effort to find beef that's not grain fed and full of hormones and disease? Time will tell. I'd like to try.

May 08, 2008

Oh, the things that will be vacuumed in this house in the coming days. Look at my new toy. It is a lean, mean, backpack vacuum machine and it is beyond cool.

I always balk at the idea of hiring a maid to clean our house. I had a crew clean here the day we moved in (previous owners had trashed the place,) and a few times here and there while I was busy having babies or feeding newborns and other such trivial tasks. I had planned on getting a maid to clean after the remodel, but the only one I've ever really liked refuses to return my call. I think my family is just too dirty for her. So I've resorted to becoming my own maid. It's about time I stop relying on outside help when my house cleaning failures have just added up too much. And now I have a new "friend" to help me in my plight.

I will admit there was a hint of embarrassment and "I hope the neighbors don't see this" as I took my Carpet Pro out of the car and brought it into the house. This bad boy is big. Just the sucking pipe alone is giant. Getting him settled in the house was a bit of a chore. Then I strapped him on and took him for a spin. Oh, my.

He has adjustable straps around the shoulders and waist, just like a hiking backpack. He has a fifty foot extension cord for reaching everywhere in the house from one outlet. He even has a belt clip for the power switch. I tell you, I'm in love with him. Boy, is he fast! And strong, too.

I had the most interesting talk with the cute little old British man down at the Sew and Vac store about vacuums. "Why don't more people buy backpack vacuums?" I asked. He told me that maintenance people do, which of course, is why I'd had the idea of buying one in the first place. If it's good enough for them to use day in and day out, shouldn't it be good enough for me? We chatted about suction and speed and advertising, which he thinks is the main reason these bad boys don't sell like the others.

Dyson vacuums, it turns out, for all their clever advertising, are the worst, he says. He actually shuddered when I mentioned their name. He couldn't resist calling me over to look at the filthiest filter you've ever seen. This is the $72 filter for a Dyson, he says. Disgusting. Made in Malaysia, he tells me, not Europe, where most people assume, because of the great accent of their front man. This little Sew and Vac gets 3 or 4 Dysons in a week for service. I'm embarrassed to say that I never would have thought of taking a vacuum in for service. I usually just figure that after several years of good service, it's time for a new one. You should have seen the cute little old red vacuum in there, waiting for service. That sucker was old. And then all the Dysons, of course. Well, thank goodness I skipped that tempting brand and went for the choice of maintenance people everywhere.

My new Carpet Pro backpack vac. My, do I love him. I'll have to think of a name for him and keep you updated on his performance. So far, I know I want to get some kind of self retracting cord because the 50 foot one is now in a big knot on the floor of the hall closet. But beside that, it is love at first vacuum.

May 05, 2008

Well, I just picked up a book on a whim at Costco while buying the ordinary things (diapers, detergent, strawberries). It's called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and is about a family who decides to eat only locally grown food for one year. Well, it turns out that much of it reminds me of the propaganda exhibits I saw in museums in Germany, but there is a lot of great info in there, too. I'm muddling through it to get to the good parts that are actually about the family and their food trials. But preachy as it is, it is also inspiring in parts, and makes me yearn to go the Farmer's Market. Yes, I think I'll go this week.

May 02, 2008

There really are so many amazing things about being a homemaker. I, for one, am not crazy about the cleaning part of the job, but the rest of it I can find quite fun. To use my artistic side and create something beautiful for my family? Wow. Now if only I could figure out some way to get paid to do this.

Favorite things:

1. creating tablescapes. That I even know this word is a lame, I'll admit. But really, tablescapes are what make a home just perfect to me. And they're what make a gathering into a special occasion. Just a random gathering of objects looks like clutter, but turn them (with lots and lots of moving and replacing and rearranging) into a well-planned tablescape and I'm happy every time I look at it for weeks.

2. sewing stuff. My mom would never believe that I actually like sewing things for the house now. There was a time that I would die of exasperation when the bobbin ran out halfway down a seam. There was a time when I would just give up on the project if I had to use a seam ripper. Yes Mom, that time is gone. Now I can sew pillows, curtains, and quilts without crying. And I'm even thinking of a foray into aprons and decorative birdies! I LOVE fabric! Hooray for the 20% off annivesary sale at Material Possessions this weekend! I'm planning on picking up a bunch of Amy Butler fabric for projects yet to be thought of.

3. creating things with the boys. Teaching the boys to use their imaginations is really becoming my favorite part of my job as a homemaker. Jake, being 4, is finally into inventing things, drawing things, creating things, and imagining things. And Tyler, being 2, of course wants to do whatever Jake does. This results in lots of artwork, lots of monster hunts (with tools and gadgets designed for the job), lots of running around, and lots of messes. Yes, the mess part is not my favorite, but it comes with the territory of creating. And it's better than raising a vidiot. (Video Idiot (vidiot): a phrase coined by my parents to describe someone who watches entirely too much t.v.)

4. decorating. Yes, I wanted to be an interior decorator when I was in elementary school. I still do, I guess, but I just want to decorate my own house and my friends' houses however we want to! Oh, it is so much fun. I LOVED the planning stage of our downstairs remodel. Now I already have visions for the bedroom. Sigh.

5. cooking. Oh, if I only didn't have anyone running through my kitchen screaming, I could cook such amazing things! Uh...but there'd be no one home to eat them then, huh. Sigh. Cooking with toddlers around is frustrating, but I do love to try. Right now I have my first loaf of bread baking...can you believe it? But the most amazing thing about preparing good meals is when the boys embrace something new. It's rare, but it happens. Just the other night, after months of offering them various vegetable options, J says, "What's that, Mom?" me:"zucchini" J:"What's zucchini?" me: "It's a kind of a squash." J: "Squash?! I love squash!"

This loving of all things squash is news to me. And I'm so excited about it.

So many things to love about making a home. And let's just leave it at that.